The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-06-01

and 100000 acres of we'll timbered
lands, ut 81 per acre. He also pur-
chased i'm Charleston, and in the inte-
rior of the State, $500, 900 worth OF real
estate at about 25 per cent advance on
ante-bellum prices. 1t was in such in
vestments that very large amount OF
Confederate money was, in measure,
saved from total loss.
When the war was over, Mr.. Will
liams allowed himself no time for rest.
He went to work promptly in erecting
warehouses i'm the burnt district for
the storage of cotton. He also filled
his stores on Hayne and Market
streets with merchandise. His was
the first southern house to begin busi-
ness. Although his old friend, Mr..
Hand, was not included in the reor-
ganization of the business, his inter-
ests in the Confederate wreck were
carefully looked after and protected.
While the grocery business was
largely increased, the cotton receipts
ran up to 75, 900 bales per annum. In
1871, to meet the demand for the oank-
! ing and exchange department. of his
business Mr.. Williams purchased the
fine brown stone building on Broad
street, and there established the Caro-
lima Savings Bank.
We now have to record a disaster to
Mr.. Williams almost equal to that of
the Confederate war. Reference is
made to the Birnie failure in New
York, i'm 1879. Mr.. Williams did not
know that his New York house had a
note out, or was at all embarrassed.
His losses in that failure amount, with
interest, to ono million four hundred
thousand dollars! Few men could
have stood up under such an unexpect-
ed blow. To add to his troubles, at
the same time, the South Carolina and
Greenville railroads went into the
hands Of receivers, owing Mr.. Will
liams S500,000. Fortunately, every
dollar was collected.
A portion of the Hand trust was in
bonds, and were lost in the Birnie
troubles; bat as he was not partner
in that firm, Mr.. Williams made good
the loss to Mr.. Hand.
We have given this sketch of the
Williams-Hand trust, as briefly as pos
sible; q detailed account would make
an instructive and interesting volume.
We are glad to say that "Uncle
George"-for we like to claim kin
with men who know how to make
money, and to use it wisely and hon
estly-is as vigorous and active in bus
iness now as he was when we first
knew him, more than third of CEN
tury ago.
We are also pleased to state that in
August, when Charleston was shaken
from centre to circumference by the
terrible earthquake, that Mr.. Will
liams' fine residence scarcely received
a scratch, and that his massive brown
stone building on Broad street stood
as firm as the Carolina Savings Bank,
which is located in it, and that the
large brick warehouse of the Charles
ton Iron Works, of which Mr.. Will
liams is president, filled with iron and
patterns, rocked to and fro on it's log
foundation, receiving but little dam
age.
The day after the earthquake, a
couple of maumas crawled over the
fallen walls to see the damage done to
Mr.. Williams mansion. Finding it
unharmed, one said: xxi, Maum
Nancy, how's dat t?n Don't you know,
my chile" said Ann Manerva, "Mr.
Williams Fed we colored people in de
waur; he's Gods chile, sure" "Dat's
So" responded Maum Nancy.
BY the time Mr.. Williams is as old
as his friend, Mr.. Daniel Hand, we
shall expect, between now and then,
to see many more remarkable things
done by him-such as deepening the
Charleston bar, building an airline
road to Kansas City, extending Char
lesion to Summerville, etc. When he
retires, his son, George 81, will take
up the work, to be finished by the
grandsons, George Sd and 4th.